Age Limits: Men’s and Women’s Youngest and Oldest Considered and Actual Sex Partners

Evolutionary Psychology

Jan Antfolk¹ 

关键词: age preferences;    sexual behavior;    mate preferences;    sex differences;    female choice;   

DOI  :  10.1177/1474704917690401

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

Whereas women of all ages prefer slightly older sexual partners, men—regardless of their age—have a preference for women in their 20s. Earlier research has suggested that this difference between the sexes’ age preferences is resolved according to women’s preferences. This research has not, however, sufficiently considered that the age range of considered partners might change over the life span. Here we investigated the age limits (youngest and oldest) of considered and actual sex partners in a population-based sample of 2,655 adults (aged 18-50 years). Over the investigated age span, women reported a narrower age range than men and women tended to prefer slightly older men. We also show that men’s age range widens as they get older: While they continue to consider sex with young women, men also consider sex with women their own age or older. Contrary to earlier suggestions, men’s sexual activity thus reflects also their own age range, although their potential interest in younger women is not likely converted into sexual activity. Compared to homosexual men, bisexual and heterosexual men were more unlikely to convert young preferences into actual behavior, supporting female-choice theory.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC